Ash drifted upward from a deep, dreamless darkness.
The climb was slow, like swimming through thick, warm syrup. For a long time he could not tell where his body ended and the blackness began. Then, little by little, sensation returned.
The first thing he noticed was the silence.
The dormitory was completely quiet. No footsteps in the corridor. No muffled voices from the courtyard. No soft hum of the daytime ventilation systems. Only the faint, steady pulse of the academy's night-cycle energy field pressed gently against the walls. When he finally forced his eyelids open, the room was wrapped in the dim blue glow of the emergency lighting strips. Evening had long since passed. Deep night had settled over Azure Cloud Martial Academy.
He lay still for several seconds, simply breathing, letting his senses recalibrate.
Something was fundamentally different.
"Something" was an understatement. His whole being felt changed.
